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Somewhere in a Hidden Village
A golden portal spun open in front of an old, broken-down cabin. Jiro, Wanda, and Kara stepped out.
The cabin door was half open, and through the gap, they could see Banner sitting at a worn wooden table, reading a faded book under the dim light of a kerosene lamp.
He looked up at the sound of their arrival and froze for a second when he saw them. Then he gave a tired smile. "Jiro? Wanda? How'd you guys find this place? Oh, right. Steel Man."
He closed the book and rubbed his forehead wearily. "Hulk lost control again. I can't go back to the city."
Jiro stepped inside and glanced around.
Cracked walls. A leaky roof. A rickety bed that looked like it would collapse any second.
Banner hadn't shaved in a while. His glasses had a crack across one lens.
"We're not here to comfort you this time," Jiro said coolly.
That's when Banner noticed Kara standing behind him. He frowned slightly. "And who's this?"
"Kara Zor-El," she said, stepping forward and extending a hand."Another Kryptonian."
Banner shook her hand instinctively, then his eyes widened. "Wait—Kara Zor-El? Supergirl?!"
He stared at her more closely, realizing she really did look the part.
He turned to Jiro, visibly shocked. "She's from the comics?!"
Jiro didn't bother explaining. "Banner. Come with us."
Banner shook his head and took a step back. "I can't. If I go back, I'll just cause more trouble. Ross's army is hunting me down. If Hulk shows up, things will get ugly fast."
"Then let's deal with the people causing trouble," Wanda cut in, red energy dancing at her fingertips.
"The military's crossed a line."
Kara crossed her arms. "After being locked up by humans for so long, I've had enough. How long are you planning to keep running?"
Banner opened his mouth, like he wanted to argue—but Jiro didn't give him a chance.
"You done hesitating?" Jiro grabbed Banner by the shoulder.
"Let's go."
"Wait—go where?!" Banner hadn't even processed it yet.
Jiro sliced open a new portal with his other hand. On the other side was none other than General Ross's military base.
Barbed wire fences, patrolling soldiers, and a big gray building marked Gamma Research Division in the center.
"Where else? We're going to have a nice chat with General Ross."
Dragging Banner along, Jiro stepped through the portal.
Military Base
A golden portal opened up high above the base. Jiro floated there, holding onto Banner, with Wanda and Kara hovering beside him.
In an instant, alarms blared across the entire base.Soldiers scrambled below, raising their weapons in panic.
But the moment they saw who it was, everyone froze in place.
"Is that the Steel Man?!"
"No, it's the Hulk!"
"Who's that blonde girl?!"
The soldiers' gun barrels trembled slightly—no one dared to move.
General Ross stormed out of the command center, his uniform crisp and his face grim.
He looked up at the figure floating in the sky—Jiro—and barked coldly, "Steel Man! This is a military restricted zone. You've crossed the line!"
Jiro looked down at him, eyes calm: "Crossed the line?"
He let go of Banner, the bio-force field holding him aloft in midair.
"Banner is with me. You're trying to arrest someone who's mine."
His voice suddenly dropped, icy and heavy. "And you say I crossed the line?"
He laughed, a sharp, mocking sound. "No one's ever dared say I crossed the line."
"No one."
Before the words even finished echoing, every soldier aimed their weapons at Jiro.
But Jiro was faster.
Zzzz!
A searing blast of heat vision swept across them.
In an instant, the entire base was disarmed—no weapons left standing.
General Ross didn't move, but sweat beaded on his forehead. Years of military discipline were the only thing keeping him from backing away.
He glared at Jiro. "You're declaring war on the United States!"
Jiro couldn't be bothered to argue. He flicked a finger.
Ross suddenly lifted off the ground, trapped in the air by an invisible force!
He struggled, but it was useless.
Jiro, Wanda, Kara, and Banner slowly descended to the ground.
"Turing."
"Here, sir," came the voice from Jiro's wristwatch.
"Did you record everything just now?"
"Fully recorded, including General Ross's statements and the aftermath."
Jiro nodded. "Good. Now start recording me."
A soft beam of light projected from his watch, forming a holographic camera interface.
He stood in front of the lens. His black combat suit rippled in the wind, golden patterns glinting with a cold sheen.
"I'm the Steel Man."
His voice was deep, eyes locked on the camera.
"Hulk is my friend. He's a hero who protects this world. Just a few days ago, we destroyed an alien fleet together and saved countless lives."
"And now this hero is being threatened, hunted, forced to hide in the mountains like a criminal?"
"I'm disappointed."
"I'll protect this world—but I won't accept threats from anyone. I'm not Clark Kent. I don't show mercy to enemies, and I won't hesitate to strike back at anyone who points a gun at me."
He stepped slightly aside, letting the camera take in the wreckage of the military base behind him.
"This is your final warning."
Recording complete.
Jiro said calmly, "Turing, post the video online—everywhere. Dark web, all major social platforms."
"Uploaded, sir. Estimated full global reach in 30 seconds."
Banner opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something, but ended up just sighing. "Well... the military's gonna blow a fuse."
Kara jumped in, "Let them. Whatever they throw at us, we're ready."
Ross looked like he wanted to say something too, but Jiro had already turned to Banner.
"He's all yours."
He added, with a meaningful smile, "After all, he's your father-in-law."
Banner adjusted his cracked glasses, took a deep breath, and walked toward the levitating Ross.
Now face-to-face, only a few steps apart.
Ross hung in midair, locked in place by telekinesis. His face was pale with rage, unwillingness, and just a flicker of fear he couldn't quite hide.
The entire base was dead silent, except for the distant wail of alarms.
Banner clenched and unclenched his fists, eyes behind his lenses full of inner conflict.
He thought of Betty. Of the destruction Hulk had caused. Of the cold, relentless orders Ross had issued to hunt him down.
"You know, Ross," Banner finally spoke, voice hoarse.
"I used to imagine this scene over and over. You getting hunted down. Cornered. Powerless."
Ross's eyes widened, but he said nothing.
Banner shook his head, then turned to Jiro. "Let him down."
Jiro raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. He loosened his fingers.
Thud! Ross crashed to the ground, his uniform now covered in dust.
He scrambled to his feet, staring at Banner in disbelief. "You're… letting me go?"
Banner took off his cracked glasses, wiped them with his sleeve. "I'm not the Hulk, Ross. I don't solve problems with violence."
He paused. "But remember this—if you ever send people after me again, or keep pushing those dangerous gamma experiments…"
His voice dropped low. Under his skin, faint green veins began to pulse.
"Then next time, it won't be me standing in front of you."
Ross went pale instantly. He knew exactly what that meant.
Next time—it would be the Hulk himself.
Banner sighed, resigned. "Let's go. It's over."
Wanda smirked knowingly. "Told you. Dr. Banner's too soft-hearted."
Kara, though, looked thoughtful. "Sometimes… sparing your enemy takes more courage than killing them."
Banner gave a wry smile and followed the others.
Just as they were about to leave, Ross suddenly called out behind them, "Banner! Betty…"
Banner stopped, but didn't turn around. "Tell her I'm okay."
But before they could take another step, Jiro suddenly said:
"Leave? No… I'm not letting him off that easy."
Banner froze in surprise.
"....."